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It used to be that only frauds and charlatans worked from home. “Working from home” was a pathetic euphemism, showed up for what rot it was in Bridget Jones’ Diary, as an excuse to bugger about ineffectually and, in the end, depressingly, at home.

But now I think it’s less of a blatant bunk-off, more acceptable and considered mostly efficient to work from home. Work now is genuinely the more flexible concept we dreamed it might be ten or fifteen years ago.

For many years now we haven’t all been getting the 7.23 to the office in order to hang up our bowler hats and say “Morning Miss Jones” to our secretaries and then sit in our airless offices for eight hours, thinking up efficient ways to kill ourselves, before getting the 17.06 back home. But there has been a transition period recently, when the office didn’t quite work and home didn’t quite work either. But that’s shifting.

And that’s a good thing for everyone, because working in an office isn’t always ideal. When you work in a great, modern office with a ace team, there’s nothing better. But most of us work, or worked in The Office – and if you can avoid it, punch the air.

But when you work from home, how do you get stuff done? How do you not just roll about the place, staring out of the window, filing your nails and shopping online?

Here’s what I’ve learned in my nearly 7 years of using my house as my office:

1 Get a fucking grip. If you really can’t motivate yourself, maybe working from home isn’t for you and you actually need to be in an office.

2 If you’re having trouble getting this grip, but not quite ready to give up, set aside two hours in the day, whenever you feel most lively, for working. Do nothing else in that time but don’t worry if you don’t actually get any work done. Just keep returning to your designated work space for two hours a day, every day. Eventually you will produce something and there’s nothing more motivational than achievement.

3 Freelancing (if that’s what you’re doing) is a roller coaster, emotionally. Try not to get too down when things are quiet, unless your flat is literally about to get repossessed. We all have times when things are hot and times when your inbox is like the Sargasso Sea. Distract yourself with tidying up your work area a bit or making a list of all the admin you’ve been putting off. Then put it to one side actually do it.

4 It’s okay to be happy. If you can make it work, freelancing is a very nice life. When you’ve got your work done, don’t pointlessly sit at your desk. Read a magazine, put your feet up, water your plants, go to the shops. It’s okay.

5 Stay on top of your invoicing and always ask what the pay is. This probably my husband’s most useful working tip. First, filing your invoices on time – or at all – will increase your likelihood of getting paid by 100%. And, when you are commissioned to do something, ask what the pay is. You don’t have to say “How much dosh is it then? Eh eh?” you can say “What’s the word rate over there these days?” They will always say “Oh well usually xx per word, but I can push it up to xx?” And then you say “Call it XXX and you’ve got a deal.” See? Perfectly easy and okay and not embarrassing. (I must admit, I don’t always do this, especially if it’s a big publication and I’m just fucking thrilled they’ve asked me. But I ought to.)

6 The Internet is the enemy of the freelancer. We all have things that we would rather do on the internet than work. But we’re not here to talk about my obsession with the songs of garden birds of the UK and Northern Europe; whatever it is out there that drags you away from your work, you are just going to have to compartmentalise it and use it as a treat. You will work for however many hours or minutes and then have a massive perv over the Baxter.it Chesterfield Moon sofa. Or do what I do and go on to Net a Porter and spend twenty minutes putting loads of things in my basket but then don’t check them out.

7 Whatever you are doing as a freelance, when you hand your work or project or whatever into your editor, or agency or client, never ever apologise – another gem from Giles. Never say “I hope this is alright” or “Re-write the whole thing if you want” or “It’s a bit patchy in the last third.” That is not confidence-inspiring. It will make your boss feel panicky and insecure. It will make them look for things for you to re-write or re-do. Don’t give them that option, just file it and they can fuck themselves if they don’t like it. You’re on to the next thing (i.e. your head in the biscuit tin).

If anyone else works from home and has helpful tips for making it work, please leave a comment in the handy box below.

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esthermcoren

31 thoughts on “Working from home”

Thanks for this – perfect timing – I am about to start out as a freelance proofreader after 25 years in The Office. This post made me laugh and feel a little more optimistic. Can your next post be about having the balls to hand in your notice?! 😳

I write out the things I want to get done each day in my diary. I write them under the headings- Work and Life. It’s the only way i remember my admin, deadlines and to put the bloody washing out, in an efficient manner. If I’m struggling with my work I force myself to spend 5 minutes with the list, and usually something sparks me off again. Tick each one off in a triumphant manner.

If at all possible have a door you can close on your home office space, it means on a Monday morning I have to open a real door and ‘go to work’.

Buy noise-cancelling headphones. Try and go for a walk each day, so you don’t start rocking in your chair and have to up your antidepressants…

Haha, stop reading blogs is a good one!
My advice, working ten years from home as a columnist is:

-get showered and dressed – very important!
-try to get a little outside time before you start – it freshens the head. I usually bring the kids to school to get some fresh air before typing the day away.
-have your appointments away from home, but not too far away – you will start wandering and never return to your desk that day
-turn off Mail during writing
-for really huge deadlines (with good pay…), hole up in a hotel for a few days. I am doing this on Friday. It’s a total treat (I book a nice hotel of course) and my husband and kids can’t disturb me. I get a lot of stuff done and get to go running/shopping in another city as a reward!

Have a separate bank account into which you put the money for your income tax IMMEDIATELY you cash the cheque – and if you can afford it (I couldn’t to begin with but after a few years it got better) put a bit extra in, so 25% of every paid invoice, not the 20% you need. That way you have an emergency fund for miscalculations/new laptop/new shoes (but only when you’re sure you’re on top of things!). And you must do this with every single invoice, even if it’s for fifty quid, because otherwise you get sloppy. I’m crap with money but I did this religiously and never needed a bailout or had a panic attack about tax, and I’m extremely proud of this.

I have to imagine what I could and couldn’t do in an office. So no emptying dishwasher/tedious household jobs between 9-3 which sounds ridiculous but seriously makes a difference. And I get up an hour before my kids to squeeze a bit of work in so I can afford time to run/eat biscuits and read later on.

This is great and funny and familiar and helpful, Esther. I work for myself from home, so recognise all of it except for the Net a Porter bit. I guess I’d say, to compartmentalise, I have a separate workspace all set up and ready to go every day, and I try to keep to set hours, though obviously if work is quiet you won’t fill those and, equally, when busy you’ll inevitably end up working evenings and weekends – that’s the nature of being freelance. I start each day by updating my to do list which includes estimated task durations – it’s good discipline and allows you to prioritise and to see what you can realistically expect to achieve that day so you don’t overpromise and underdeliver. As well, as you say, as agreeing your fee (and any expenses) in advance in writing – which is a MUST for maintaining good working relationships – I also set out in a written fee proposal exactly which tasks I will do for that fee, though that’s probably more relevant to my work than to writing. I’d also say try to get out of the house once a day for a quick walk to get some fresh air and exercise, clear the cobwebs, de-stress and help you think straight.

I work from home and do find it very lonely sometimes (especially when something goes wrong and you have no-one to talk to about it so it escalates in your head till it becomes a crisis, which it wasn’t in the first place) and so every so often I go and work in the library. Most libraries will let you do this and its warm, there is free Wifi and no food so you can’t distract yourself by standing in front of the fridge. There are also OTHER PEOPLE. This is most important, even if you never speak to them. Just being in a room with other people motivates you.

Oh I am loving this. I work from home. And I have never worked so damned hard in my life. Like, really, really bloody hard. Think children-down-a-mine hard. I have friends who occasionally ‘work from home’ who use the time to tackle their laundry, bed changing and catching up with their Sky recordings while idly typing the odd email to inform the office of how productive they’re being.

What works for me is:

1) Always putting on make up and perfume (I fully accept this may or may not work for the gentlemen who work from home) so I feel properly put together just as I would in an office.

2) A serious, don’t-mess-with-me To Do list. I update it every evening for the next day, and that’s what I endeavour to blitz through as I can’t rely on colleagues to remind or nag me about stuff I’ve not done.

2) Make your workspace beeeoootiful. I need flowers on my desk. I need to make my office pleasant to be in, or I resent sitting in there when the sun is shining and my bastard non-working friends are all out having a picnic. A posy of flowers and nice smells (I have a plug-in, mood-changing light oil diffuser) make my office feel a lovely place to be.

3) Work your arse off. It’s that simple. I run my own business and I am only ever as good as my last job. If I let people down, fail to meet a deadline or let standards slip, they’ll move on. And I will lose my house and won’t be able to feed my children. Under promise and over deliver – it’s an oldie but it’s a goodie.

4) Sometimes you need a different view, different chair or a strong coffee made by a handsome barista to spur you on. Find somewhere nice, with reliable wifi, where you can plonk your backside for a while, preferably with great food, not too noisy, not too busy but not too quiet as you’ll feel horribly self conscious. Then, in your little spot, with just the right amount of sunshine, latte and goats cheese salad, you can smile smugly and think ‘Look at me working here, in this lovely place instead of a soulless office with people I don’t like. I. Am. Living. The. Dream’

Great advice. I am a “Stay at Home mum ” (I really hate that expression!). I didn’t set out to be one its just worked out that way – eldest son has special needs/is lovely but a massive pain in arse. I have developed massive depression because I just sat about all day looking at blogs in my pyjamas. When I turned 40 I spent a whole month researching my signature perfume on line- that is when I finally went to my GP. Anyway I’m feeling much better and this blog totally helps.

Bless you Emma I had three children under 3 and got depressed too (they are teenagers now – hate to tell you its even harder). I spent months ordering matching Boden duvet sets for my children and had a massive online shopping problem! I used to be a solicitor (in another life) in a horrible suburban office working with some truly horrible people. I now work at home and Im so much happier but do spend too much time on blogs and the odd bit of online shopping! Luckily I dont get distracted by housework because I prefer work! So glad to hear you are feeling better X

I’ve gone back to being a wage slave after 20 years freelance, during which WatH went from futuristic fantasy to everyday. In my experience the advice applies equally well to either situation; especially the first point (also the one about blogs, but that’s how I got here…).

Thank you Esther! This post made me howl, feel wistful and reminded of the joy of being on the same page as honest, smart people. (This is the first time I’ve ever left a comment on a blog, so forgive me if I make a balls-up).
I once ran my own business and worked from home for 8 years, so here are my top tips:.

1. Reframing: it’s a portfolio career, not just working from home. Sounds like bullshit, but does keep the unwanted advice brigade at bay or mansplainers.
2. Terms & Conditions: these are as important for employers as they are for family, aka “know your value”. No, I won’t do the job for free, Boss Lady, and no you can’t just call round unexpectedly and chat, Big Sis, because you think working from home is a day off.
3. Save and Reward: in your second year of self-employment onwards (if PAYE and not a limited company), HMRC will review your previous years’ earnings, calculate your future tax bill based on that and require that you pay your tax in instalments in advance – on account, if you like. Terrifying but true. So like a previous poster said, save a whack of all earnings in a separate tax account to keep you from having a nervous breakdown. Reward yourself well after a particularly tricky job/nightmare boss experience, with some shopping or whatever rocks your boat.
4. JFDI: find your own rhythm for getting the job done well, be it a caffeine and Pro-Plus allnighter, or the peace and quiet of when the kids are at school. But it has to get done. Full stop.
5. Daytime TV rots your soul: it’s shit, full of pink Foxy Bingo ads and is a lazier version of heat magazine.
6. Reality check: Some days it all just comes together and you flourish; on other days, you take to sending yourself emails to test that your laptop is still working, as your in-box is empty, you have no work lined up and you panic. Both are completely normal!
7. Routine: Have one but vary it, leave the house every day at some point not wearing pj’s, to avoid cabin fever. You don’t want your most meaningful conversation of the day to be with the lad on the Tesco checkout when you run to buy an emergency packet of Jammie Dodgers, so mix it up a bit.
8. Courage: being your own man or woman is scary, but when it goes well, possibly the best feeling in the world.
9. G&T time: does not start before 6 o’clock.
10. Love what you do: …but remember it’s only work.

Loved this. My tip would be to make sure you get some exercise, even if it’s just going for a walk (in fact, walking is great as you also get time outside). I got an Apple watch recently and have been obsessively tracking when I burn most calories during the day, and what really struck me was how many calories I burn when I’m in the office or in college- just from commuting, walking to talk to someone down the corridor or whatever- compared to how few I burn when I’m working at home and therefore sitting on my arse all day. You wouldn’t think such light exercise would make such a difference but it really does (about 400 cals’ worth, amazingly- so I’d gain a pound every 10 days working from home!). So I am trying to build exercise in on those days but to do it like an office person (ie efficiently)- the temptation to toddle off to hot yoga is great but it takes 2.5 hours (once you’ve factored in all the faffing, showering, drying hair etc)

I’m a newbie freelancer and mostly work from home. I must say, I am so much happier now than I was when I worked 9-5 in an office. It’s a really lovely lifestyle! I am not as disciplined as I should be yet, but I’ll learn!

Get outside at lunchtime and/ or do some exercise- I have sometimes gone the whole day without stepping foot outside, which isn’t good for my ever expanding arse or general self esteem… Which is directly related to the size of my arse.

Don’t get into the habit of letting people ‘turn up’ to see you as they think you’re available just because you’re at home. They need to respect that you are actually a Girl Boss at work!

This has been a really great, useful and motivating post and comment thread- thanks Esther X

Completely agree with Lexie M with the people turning up bit particularly for early wine o clock on a Friday. But you can always hide as long as you have trained your kids if you have them not to answer the door!

Another freelance journalist chiming in to say what a great post this is, Esther. Totally empathise with so much of it, especially 4. I am no good at giving myself a break – I think I have obscure wfh guilt? Yet I will sit here and faff around reading blogs! Ahem. Am also going to try Giles’ advice on point 7 – it’s way too easy to get all apologetic and ridiculous and end up doing a load more work.

Another bit of advice for any potential freelancers out there is to get yourself a good accountant. A friend just had to dispute a massive tax bill with HMRC and it took DAYS out of her life (and probably days off it too – they wanted £2k originally and when she disputed it, it was reduced to £100!!). Ultimately you have to weigh up whether that’s worth your time. Without question, I would rather get someone else to have those arguments on my behalf and sail merrily on my way to buy shoes / do some actual billable work.